The world's eyes are on Brazil as they host the 2014 World Cup, but as the final bill comes in for the infrastructure upgrades and stadiums required to get the country ready, the vast majority of Brazilians are questioning whether the massive amount of public money that's been spent was worth it.

During the World Cup preparations, taxpayer money has been routinely awarded to private corporations to take on everything from infrastructure projects to the provision of essential public services. However, information about which companies received these contracts, the precise terms of delivery, and whether or not the contractor upheld their end of the deal is kept out of the public eye, shielded from scrutiny.

Sign this petition calling on the Brazilian government to commit to open contracting so the Brazilian people can see how their money is being spent.

Public contracts should be open contracts.

The Brazilian Government is a founding member of the global Open Government Partnership. They are currently in the process of producing an action plan detailing their intentions, but they have yet to make an explicit commitment to open contracting. These public commitments represent our best chance as citizens to engage with our own governments and the governments of the world in their efforts to become more open, transparent, and accountable to their people.

When the government signs contracts our our behalf, I believe we have the right to know the precise terms and conditions of these contracts. Secrecy in public contracting has resulted in a culture of impunity and corruption leading to service delivery failures, fraud and waste. This veil allows private companies and governments alike to escape public scrutiny and accountability, often times hiding the human costs of their activities.

An estimated $11.3 Billion spent by the Brazilian government in preparation for the World Cup.

It is time that the government demonstrate their commitment to Open Government by opening up public contracts. Open contracting should be foundational part of any open government. Concerned citizens like myself, as well as civil society organisations and journalists, should be able to understand and monitor how public money is spent, and to independently determine if we are getting a good value for the money we do spend. As such, I’m asking that you make a serious and explicit commitment to open contracting in your OGP Action Plan.